First Sale Doctrine

The first sale doctrine (codified at § 109(a) of the U.S. Copyright Act) creates a secondary market for copyrighted materials without a copyright owner’s permission to dispose of the article. The doctrine, allows the owner of a copy “lawfully under this title” to sell or otherwise dispose of the copy without the copyright owner’s permission.” AALL supports the first sale doctrine because it allows libraries to lend materials to their patrons.